[A conversation, a visit, a duel, and a flight south.]
[This session probably took place April 2004. We were playing Champions 5th Edition with the Second Edition Fantasy Hero supplement.]
Player Characters
Tim, a Wizard - male human from the Free City of Freegate, graduate of Outlands University
Dangar Stonekleaver – male dwarf from the Northern Dwarven Kingdom
Mord Worldfist – male dwarf bodyguard [and handler] for Dangar
Wendell Dorshield III – male gnome, Captain and Architect of the Yardbird
Malwyn – male High elf fighter and military expert
Darkfox – female human thief from Freegate, secret ID of socialite Karlyn Gryphshaw
NPCs
Rebecca – female gnome, part of the Gnome security detail for Wendell
Herschal “the Hunter” – also known as “Bearkiller”, male gnome, part of the Gnome security detail for Wendell
Yacov – male gnome, part of the Gnome security detail for Wendell
Session Begins
March 10, 20 IC
Tim had been spending some of his time since the Flight of the Yardbird [end of 18 IC] researching and examining the items the Outlanders had taken from the vault under the Imperial Legion Citadel in Fordsway, in particular the set of copper scrolls that described an assault on the temple of a death cult and its sealing [see below, after the session report]. This suggested to Tim treasure was to be had. He was greatly frustrated trying to determine where the ruins might be located as the location references were escaping him. To blow off some steam he met Malwyn to have beers at a tavern Malwyn had recently built [representing part of Malwyn's points in Wealth].
Malwyn, always keeping abreast of military affairs across the continent, was discussing some of the fighting taking place in what used to be County Silverloc but was now Horde territory. He was describing where some resistance fighting had been happening and Tim recognized one of the place names Malwyn listed as also appearing on the copper scrolls.
Suddenly very interested in the conversation, Tim quizzed Malwyn as to where the locations he was describing existed. Malwyn told him and Tim [after finishing his drink] quickly ran [staggered really – they had been drinking for a while] back to his study and passed out. When he woke back up [and defeated a terrible hangover by taking some of the hangover cure he had ordered from Goebblein], he renewed his search for the temple ruins, starting on the western fringe of County Silverloc.
March 13, 20 IC
Several days (and many better maps) later, Tim felt he had a good idea where the temple was located [good enough to go looking anyway]. He then sent messages to the members of the Outlanders, requesting their assistance to “check out a site of potential value”.
March 15, 20 IC
The Outlanders met to discuss the opportunity and do some planning. Through Wendell the Outlanders were able to arrange a ride on a gnome supply airship heading south to Fordsway in a few days. This gave them time to lay in supplies and gear for their expedition into the southern Worldspine Mountains. Due to tight shipping schedules, the airship could not provide transportation into the mountains and the Outlanders would have to be dropped off in Haus Senke and go overland from there. This area was now a Gnomish Protectorate, per the Treaty of Fordsway, and Haus Senke (“Valley House” in Gnomish) was the Gnome fortified trading house maintaining the Gnome presence required by the Treaty.
March 16, 20 IC
The Outlanders had heard weird rumors about Montiflurio, the sage that occasionally hired them to explore ancient sites, and decided to pay him a visit before they left Freegate. [It is possible they were asked to by people at the University based on information queries Montiflurio had made during the previous months, but I have no notes telling me how I played it.]
The Outlanders [at least Tim, Dangar, and Mord, probably the rest as well] went to Montiflurio’s home and noticed it seemed newer and cleaner that they remembered from previous visits. Perhaps Montiflurio had renovations or cleaning done in the last year. When Tim knocked on the door, he was answered by Jeeves, Montiflurio’s butler, who was in good health. Tim explained why they were there, to which Jeeves said, "The Master is performing some involved historical research and is currently unavailable. I will let him know of your concern and he will contact you when he takes a pause in his work." Tim asked when that might be and Jeeves was stating he couldn’t be certain when a voice, clearly Montiflurio’s, from inside and up on the second-floor balcony directed Jeeves to bring his guests to the study and he would join them shortly. Jeeves’ face showed great surprise at this but he quickly hid it, inviting the Outlanders into the house.
Jeeve showed the Outlanders to the study, a room Tim and Dangar had seen previously. Jeeves asked the groups’ drink preferences and then left to fill them. The room was pretty much the way Tim and Dangar remember it, but everything seemed fresher somehow.
A couple minutes later Montiflurio entered the room, followed by Jeeves, who was carrying a tray with everyone’s drinks. Rather than his regular, scholarly robes, Montiflurio was wearing robes made of red-dyed silk with ornate dragon designs sewn into it using gold, silver, and copper thread. He appeared to be in very good health and was very well groomed.
After greeting the Outlanders and thanking them for enquiring about his health, he asked Tim [and Wendell if he was there] if he/they would mind answering a few questions about Mage Tongue [the language of magic]. Tim was willing and they spent about 20 minutes discussing possible alternate pronunciations and conjugations of words in Mage Tongue while the others enjoyed their drinks. During the conversation, Tim quickly realized that Montiflurio already knew Arcanium, the recently rediscovered more advanced form of Mage Tongue, and was probably better at it than Tim, the person that rediscovered it. Tim chose not to say anything.
Eventually Montiflurio seemed to be satisfied with the conversation regarding Mage Tongue and switched topics. He told the Outlanders that he had been following their exploits somewhat and wondered if they could verify something for him. He has heard that they might be in possession of a map that shows the pre-Mage War landscape, including the location of ancient cities. He wanted to know A) if the Outlanders had such a map, and B) may he review it sometime? The map would be an invaluable resource for his research. Tim allowed that they had such a map, but it was back at the university and perhaps they could arrange a viewing in the future. Montiflurio thanked him and stated he would work out a day to do so when his research schedule allowed.
After that, Montiflurio excused himself, saying he must return to his research. He thanked the Outlanders for their time and asked Jeeves to see them out. He then left the room.
Once the Outlanders were outside the house and down the street some, Tim shared his suspicions about Montiflurio knowing Arcanium with the others. They generally trusted Montiflurio as he had been their patron for a while, but all agreed something was definitely going on.
March 17, 20 IC
While the Outlanders were going about making their preparations, a dwarf in immaculate armor, wearing an opulent cloak, having a perfect dwarven beard, and followed by four immaculately dressed dwarven servants carrying his weapons and gear, approached Dangar in a public place. Closer inspection showed that the lead dwarf wore the crest of the Torkrest Clan of the Southern Dwarven Kingdom and looked every inch a dwarven national hero. He walked right up to Dangar and held out his hand to one of his attendants. The attendant handed the hero a white leather gauntlet, with which the dwarf smacked Dangar across the face! He then threw the gauntlet to the ground and said the following in Dentugog (the Dwarf language):
"I am Azrak of the Torkrest clan, whom you have greatly insulted in years past. I have come to demand satisfaction, you scruffy-bearded tramp."
This was a formal challenge. Azrak was not carrying any obvious weapons [his flunkies were carrying them for him] and Dangar would lose great honor if he attacked right then. As Dangar was currently a National Hero of the NDK, this would reflect badly upon the entire Northern Dwarven Kingdom, especially its king, who had vouched that Dangar was a hero. Due to the heightened tensions between the Dwarven Kingdoms, there was no honorable way for Dangar to decline the challenge.
The correct and honorable response was to accept the challenge and name a place, which Dangar did [I think it was in the courtyard behind Malwyn's bar on the Western Rim]. Azrak, as the challenger, named the time – Noon, two days hence. As the challenged, Dangar set the boundaries of the duel: first surrender. Dwarven duels assume that the weapons used will be the hand weapons favored by the individual warriors, so at this point the duel parameters were established.
As the duel was set for the day after the Outlanders planned to leave Freegate, Wendell had to reschedule the supply airship’s departure and explain why to the Consortium. Sensitive to the politics involved, the Consortium allowed for the delay but also require Wendell to take a security detail [now that they knew where he was going might not be safe].
March 18, 20 IC
Word of the duel rapidly spread through the city and betting pools started. People gossiped about the duel everywhere and bookie scouts started showing up and following Dangar around to see what kind of contender he was. Whatever Dangar did to impress the scouts, he learned that Azrak had already done something more impressive. By the next morning, people were talking about how much Azrak looked like a "proper dwarven hero", while Dangar looked the part of a scruffy vagabond. Groups of people quickly fell silent for an awkward moment when Dangar walked by. By the time of the duel, Azrak was the 4 to 1 favorite over Dangar.
[At some point, Dangar was loaned a magical battle axe and had his armor polished so he would at least look more like a National Hero of the Northern Dwarven Kingdom. Unfortunately, I have no notes indicating who it was, but it might have been the Gnomes, currying favor with their allies to the north, or even the High Priest of He Who Protects.]
March 19, 20 IC
When Dangar and the Outlanders arrived at the chosen place, Azrak was already there, sitting comfortably in a sturdy but beautiful chair under an ornate silk pavilion, his family crest flying on a flag above it. Azrak was wearing a different set of armor this day. It appeared to be extremely functional, but was decorated to make Azrak appear to be a great mountain lion. The helmet was sculpted to be the lion’s head, the gauntlets and boots looked like claws, and the plates were sculpted and painted to look like fur. He moved very gracefully and easily in the armor. [Dangar tended to get heavily injured by cat-like or cat-related opponents, so this was a psychological ploy against Dangar on Azrak’s part. Dangar's player approved.]
There were spectators everywhere they could fit and still see the fighting area. The crowd cheered loudly when Azrak stepped forth. There was a lesser cheer for Dangar, mostly from the University crowd. There were several bookies set up and food vendors worked the crowd. The City Watch was present keeping the crowd under some measure of control (and to watch the fight themselves). As this was a proper duel between national champions, by custom the City Watch would neither stop nor interfere with the proceedings.
[To provide a challenging opponent, I played a dirty trick on Dangar’s player. A month or so prior, I asked all the players to send me a copy of their characters so I could align the adventure better with their capabilities. This was a lie. I did it to get a current copy of Dangar. I then made a copy of what the player sent, changed the name to Azrak, and swapped all references to the Southern and Northern Dwarven Kingdoms. Viola! The perfect foil – Dangar would fight his clone!]
The duel happened.
During the duel, everyone noticed that both dwarves were wielding powerful magic axes. Neither dwarf called the other out over this and the fight was furious. Both could hit with near impunity [Dangar had very high OCV and low DCV, so his opponent did as well] so many wounds were inflicted and both were quickly bloodied, which got the crowd cheering. In the end, Dangar got the last hit in, knocking Azrak unconscious! Dangar told the unconscious dwarf to “get up and fight or I’ll accept your surrender.” When Azrak lay there unconscious, Dangar raised his axe and was declared the victor. The crowd, very entertained by the fight, cheered [but not as much if Azrak had won as most had bet on the Southern Dwarf]. Dangar wobbled over to the Outlanders and asked for healing potions before collapsing to the ground.
March 20, 20 IC
Morning
The Outlanders arrived at The Yard out on the Western Rim. Construction of the new, "sunken", construction bays (built down into the side of the canyon walls instead of sitting on top) was nearing completion. Two of the sunken bays were complete and currently retooling to produce a new type of airship – merchant airships. The above ground bays were now storage facilities or "hangars" [because the Gnomes hung the airships from points on the ceiling] for completed airships, although they rarely had any ship of the fleet in them.
The loading facilities for the airships had developed, so it was easier to get aboard. Additional facilities for handling cargo and loading it onto the airships were being constructed. The Outlanders boarded the supply airship and rode it south.
Later That Day
As the airship approached Wemmel from the north, the Outlanders could make out the immense Wemmel Water Works, in the process of being built where the Tabor River poured over the escarpment in a set of immense waterfalls. [The escarpment was the southern border of the Freegate Territories.]
The gnomes were building immense water wheels to harness the power of the river and one of them was finished and spinning. There appeared to be a set of gears and linkages connecting the completed wheel to a work area where all sorts of construction was happening. There were several stone towers and a small keep for site security and to protect the workers. Even from the altitude they were flying at, it was apparent to the Outlanders that the majority of the work force was non-Gnomish. They appeared to be a mix of humans and dwarves.
To the Outlanders untrained eyes, it appeared that the gnomes had a long way to go before they completed the enormous complex.
March 21-22, 20 IC
As they sailed south, flying high above and along the Greater Tabor River, it was still possible to see signs of the GHN. There were few trees of any height anywhere within two miles of the river. All the underbrush was short and relatively sparse. The few farmhouses they saw seemed small or were obviously abandoned. The city of Ingolstadt, once the capital and home of the rulers of the Bayern District was now piles of rubble, still abandoned over three years after the horde besieged and sacked the city.
One of the odd things they noticed were the flags flying from farmhouses and small towns along the river. Those flags flying on the western side of the river showed the traditional coat of arms of the Bayern District on a field of light blue, but now included an additional heraldic device above the coat of arms. The exact device shown changed multiple times as the airship flew south.
Meanwhile, all of the flags flying on the eastern side of the river showed the coat of arms of the Bayern District, but instead the traditional light blue background, the background was divided vertically, half green and half red – colors associated with Greater Lundania. Once the airship passed the ruins of the city of Oberwessel, the flags on both sides of the river showed the Lundanian colors.
March 23, 20 IC
On the third day of travel, the airship entered the remaining territory of County Silverloc. The change was apparent from the air as the scars of war were still fresh upon the earth here. There were large swaths of burnt croplands and farmsteads on the eastern side of the river. Patrols of bat-riders could be seen far to the south and east while the airship captain now scrupulously kept the airship to the west of the Greater Tabor River.
The lands to the west of the river were not in much better shape. Along the river the farms were all abandoned and overgrown. In the distance to the west, a few scattered smudges of smoke were the only signs of inhabitants.
As the airship crossed the Mosel River, Haus Senke was finally able to be seen. It was pentagonal in shape, with impressive walls and coated with the traditional Gnomish glaze [fireproof and acid resistant]. It was completely surrounded by an extensive shanty town of hovels. Clustered in the sea of hovels were a few permanent looking structures that must have once been the manor house and outbuildings for a large farm or small barony. Thronging the "streets" of this impromptu town were thousands of people that looked to be refugees. As the airship came in to tether to a tower on top of the Haus, the smell of the refugee camp hit the Outlander, and they fully understood the poverty here, caused by the Khanate of Grimthug Og Garguzgulz to the south and east.
Session Ends.
NPCs Met
Azrak Torkrest - Hero of the Southern Dwarven Kingdom
The Copper Scrolls
The following are excerpts from the Copper Scrolls the Outlanders recovered, detailing a report on the sealing of the main temple of a death cult – The Temple of the Watching Night. The report indicates that the cult was put down, but at a terrible cost. The catacombs under the Temple were never cleared but sealed by impenetrable magics 3400 years ago. A password to unseal the Temple was provided for the time when the forces necessary could be assembled to clear the catacombs. Why, exactly, this never happened remains unclear.
- "…up the river to the falls, where our guides led us into an ambush…"
- "Once past the lake and the stronghold there…[we] followed the river upstream until we reached the ruins of a cult fort…"
- "The river now points at the Lesser Spine. We followed it for several days until we reached the ruins of the lesser temple, razed two years ago. We followed the [correct/right? (unclear due to damage to the scroll)] branch until it enters the mountain."
- "There, there is a way-stone…which now points to the pass we must take. That pass leads to a valley through the Spines."
- "…where heavy fighting took place and we thought we were close. …[after] the battle and the destruction of the fortress, our scouts reported another valley and pass days to the west…where the cult forces retreated."
- "…where they fought like devils, never giving an inch, but our forces finally prevailed. From here we could see their accursed temple, a dark blot upon the landscape due west."
- "…finally able to seal them away after the Erodan Knights drove their final Mesidian gargoyles from the sky. We…performed…the Sacred Earth ritual, sealing them away in their catacombs until my lord can raise the forces to finally purge them…"
- "…[the phrase] "Imberia amar leithian" will unseal the spell and allow access to the catacombs."
- "…the final treasures of the cult were buried with them, as were their diversions…"
Happening Off-Stage
No notes for this.
DM Discussion
[This set of session notes was patched together from my GM adventure notes and back-referencing from things in Session 2. As mentioned before, the loss of the actual session notes was due to the Hard Drive Crash of 2014. Remember to back up your files somewhere that is not your computer’s only hard drive!]
Cultists, Cultists, Cultists
Previous session: Flight of the Yardbird, Session 16
Next Session: Session 2 [not edited yet]
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